Trojans Drop Last Second Heartbreaker to Georgia State

Saturday, October 24

Troy, Ala.

3 p.m.

Troy University

3-2 , 1-1

Georgia State

1-3 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Georgia State

Troy

Trojans Drop Last Second Heartbreaker to Georgia State

10/24/2020 7:24:00 PM | Football

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. -- Despite scoring a touchdown with 36 seconds to play to draw within two points and originally recovering the ensuing on-side kick, the Troy fell to Georgia State, 36-34, Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Sun Belt Conference play.

Down 36-28, freshman Javon Solomon forced a fumble that was recovered by Kyle Nixon at the Troy 35-yard line with 1:20 to play. The turnover, was the final of three turnovers that Troy(3-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) forced in the game.

With the ball back in his possession, junior Jacob Free led the Trojans on a 7-play, 47-yard drive that was capped by an 11-yard strike to Reggie Todd that cut the Panthers (2-2, 1-2) lead to 36-34. On the ensuing two-point conversion, Free attempted a back-shoulder fade for Khalil McClain that fell incomplete.

Down two points with 36 seconds to play, Troy senior Kyle Coale delivered a perfect on-side kick attempt that appeared to be recovered by Todd at the Trojans' 45-yard line.

After originally ruling that Todd did not contact the ball before the 45, the officiating crew initiated a booth review and decided that the ball was contacted at the 44-and-one-half yard line. The result of the review triggered a flag that overturned the successful on-side kick attempt and gave possession back to the Panthers and ended the game.

In relief of sophomore Gunnar Watson who left in the first quarter with an injury, Free completed 24-of-38 passes for 329 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Todd finished with eight catches, 130 yards and a score, while classmate Kaylon Geiger turned in a 5-catch, 88-yard performance.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans returned both a fumble (Shakel Brown, 21 yards) and an interception (Reddy Steward, 35 yards) for a score just three plays apart. The two defensive touchdowns marked the first time since 2015 (ULM, Nov. 7) that Troy recorded a pair of touchdowns on defense.

Quotable - Head Coach Chip Lindsey
The story of the night was the missed opportunities from turning the ball over four times. I was really proud of our defense and the way they held an offense that was scoring a lot of points to a reasonable performance. And then we created three turnovers, two of which we scored on. So, hats off to the defense for giving us a really good chance to win the game.

Sound Smart with Your Friends

Jayden McDonald (16), Carlton Martial (15) and Dell Pettus (10) combined to be the first Troy trio to finish with double-digit tackles in the same game since Nov. 7, 2009, at Western Kentucky -- Bear Woods, Chris Bowens and Brandon Lang.

Notable

• Troy's 407 passing yards were the 15th most in school history.

• Troy has outscored its opponents by 34 points in the first half this season (98-64).

• Carlton Martial recorded his ninth double-digit tackle game (15), 12th game with five or more solo tackles (6) and 20th game with a tackle for loss (1.0) in his 21st consecutive start.

• Troy has reached the 400-yard mark in 13-of-17 games under Chip Lindsey , including 4-of-5 games this season.

• The Trojans lost the toss for the fifth consecutive game and fell to 5-12 on coin tosses under Chip Lindsey.

Up Next

The Trojans return to action next Saturday afternoon at Arkansas State. Kickoff from Jonesboro is set for 2 p.m.